Name_______________________________________________ Participation in Government Create your own Political Party Project From what we’ve talked about in class, you know that very few people fit perfectly within one political party. With such a wide variety of policy agenda issues, most people end up voting for the candidate from the party that aligns with most of their beliefs. To solve that problem, you are going to create your own political party that more accurately represents your beliefs. You may work individually, with a partner, or in a group of 3 people. PLEASE NOTE: if you choose to work with other students, be aware that your grade is dependent on the amount of work they put into the project, so choose carefully. Task #1: CREATING A POLITICAL PARTY 1) Identity: Your new party needs a name, symbol, and slogan. You can either draw your symbol or choose a picture available on the Internet (with proper citation, of course). You MAY NOT choose a name, symbol, or slogan that is associated with a current or past political party. Describe your choices and your party’s general philosophy in at least 5 sentences. 2) Platform: Create a political party platform in which your group states your beliefs/advocacy on a minimum of 15 policy issues. Must be included: Immigration Social Welfare Education Abortion Healthcare Environment (global warming, regulations) Gun Control Gay Rights/Same-Sex Marriage National Security (military spending/size, diplomacy) Economy/Taxes Capital Punishment Other Options (choose at least 4): War on Drugs and Drug Laws Influence of Special Interest Groups & Lobbyists Peace in the Middle East (Israel) Federal Deficit Global Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Campaign Finance Reform Afghanistan/Iraq War Humanitarian Aid Congressional Term Limits Minimum Wage Any other issue you think is important, but must be cleared with me first For each issue, you should not simply agree/disagree with the existing parties’ stand. Instead, talk through the issues and create your own unique statement that reflects your party’s position. Use academic vocabulary and constitutional justification for your beliefs. Position statements must be 2-4 sentences in length. After creating your platform, rank these issues by importance to your party. In fact, you may want to wait to choose a name and symbol until you have prioritized – as this may reveal the “core value” of your party. Please Note: I do not care what position you take. I do not care if you are more to the left or the right, I only care that you are logical 3) Presidential candidate: Create a party leader to run for President. Provide a detailed explanation of why this person was chosen to lead the party. This information should be found on the poster and Google slides. Format Your project can be in a Google slides using Zen PowerPoint example to help guide you On the due date, your party will submit to me your project IN PRINT (not by email). The cover must feature your party’s name, slogan and symbol. Inside, you will list your fifteen party statements in priority order with a bolded header indicating the beginning of each new section. Task #2: Mounting the Political Campaign The election is right around the corner; you need to acquire the most amount of votes as possible. Campaign poster: You are to create a campaign poster with: the name of the party, name of party candidate, brief biography, party’s logo and slogan. An Election Speech: to be delivered on election dat. It should be persuasive and informative(Maximum 2.5 minutes) The speech must be submitted in written form. All group members should participate Task #3: Election Day: Election day: Each political party will present their campaign products (give platform, show logo, leader, poster, flyer) The Polls Open: We will vote and follow only one rule, you cannot vote for your own party. The Polls Close: The votes are counted and the winning party if declared. We will be in the computer lab for at least 4 days prior to your project’s due date. Grading Rubric for a Power Point/Google Slides Project Awesome Admirable Acceptable Unacceptable Self- Teacher 4 3 2 1 Assessment Assessment Critical thinking Thoughtfully and accurately interprets results, shows in-depth understanding of major ideas Identifies relevant arguments, justifies results, offers reasons Usually justifies results and offers reasons Misinterprets data, gives unjustified arguments Quality of information Covers topic thoroughly, includes details that support the topic Includes essential information, includes some supporting details Includes most essential information, details are somewhat sketchy Lacks essential information Organization Well organized and coherent, topics are in logical sequence, Organized, some topics are out of logical order, conclusions are Some organization, topics jump around, Not organized, topics make no sense includes clear introduction and conclusions generally clear conclusions are unclear Grammar and spelling All grammar and spelling are correct Only one or two errors More than two errors Very frequent grammar and/or spelling errors Visual design Visually appealing, clean simple layout, text is easy to read, graphics enhance understanding of ideas Visually attractive, text is easy to read, colors enhance readability, graphics and special effects do not distract from understanding ideas Text is sometimes hard to read, sometimes graphics or special effects distract from understanding Text is very difficult to read, layout is cluttered and confusing Oral presentation Well prepared, speaks clearly, makes eye contact with audience, delivers with ease, invites questions Engages audience, fluid delivery, uses different approach other than simply reading screen, invites questions Clear and understandable, uses limited delivery techniques Not clear, not understandable Teamwork Willingly accepts and fulfills individual role in group, sensitive to feelings and needs of group members Fulfills individual role within group without prompting, respectful of others Works toward group goals with occasional prompting, maintains positive attitude Works toward group goals only when prompted, needs occasional reminders to be sensitive to others Total